Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Development of Mental Health Services in Malaysia
Development of Mental Health Services in Malaysia
Development of Mental Health Services in Malaysia
of supernatural forces
"ods (communication)
Spirit or Demonic
possession
m Ão separation between
medicine, religion, &
magic
m ecause mental illness was perceived of as having
supernatural origins, treatments for mental illness often
involved exorcism (casting out of demons),
witchcraft/sorcery, or other ³supernatural´ cures.
m ×nother very popular
method of ³curing´
mental illness was
w (i.e. the
surgical boring into the
skull) to allow the
³spirits´ to escape.
m îhe Ebers Papyrus (dated
1550 ) is believed to be
a copy of an even earlier
text dated 3400 ). îhe
Ebers Papyrus contains a
wealth of ancient Egyptian
medical knowledge
including chapters on
mental illness (inc.
depression and dementia)
m Ôippocrates claimed that
epilepsy was the result of
natural causes and not a
divine disease
m laimed mental illness was
caused by increased humidity
in the brain
m ×lso claimed that hysteria
was caused by the female
womb becoming detached
and wondering around the
body Ôippocrates
460 ± 355
m Ôippocrates
recommended
treatments for
mental illness
included:
eatings
onfinement
Medications
m 0n ×ncient "reece, the mentally
ill were taken to the îemple of
×sclepius ("od of Medicine) to
be healed.
m ×long with magical treatments,
the mentally ill person would
routinely sleep in the temple
0t was thought that "od would
appear to the person in their sleep
and cure them
m 610 ×D
eginning of the revelation of the Qur'an
M Sura 4:5 states: